Radiator



. March 24, 1931.l R. N. TRANE RADIATOR vFil'ed Jn.'- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,gew/mr March 24, 1931.

R. N. TRANE 1,797,535

RADIATOR Filed Jan. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, ..1931

UMTED STATES REUBEN N. TRANE, F LA CROSSEQWISCONSIN RADIATOR Application filed January 14, 1928. Serial No. 24.6305.

My invention relates to radiators of the 1in type wherein a multiplicity of spaced ins are mounted on a heat tube through which passes steam, vapor, hot water or other heat- 5 ing medium.v Such radiators are intended primarily for use with blowers or other forced draft, or for use in stacks set within the walls of dwellings and buildings,'or in cabinetlike stacks set out in the room to be heated.

The present application constitutes an improvement over the structure disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 104,196', led April 9.3, 1926. In the former application the radiator units were specifically illustrated x with the spaced heat radiating lins mounted on heat tubes of circular cross section, al-

though an oval or elliptical modification was` suggested in my prior application. The advantages of an oval tube construction are that where one is limited for width, the same area may be preserved for the tube and still the tube take up less space in thelongitudinal sectional area of the unit, thereby obtaining the same space for air passage in a lesser overall width.

One of the objects of my present invention is the securing of a good heat conducting contact between the spaced radiating tins and a tube of oval cross section on which they are mounted.

Another and equally important object# is a simple and economical provision for connecting the endsy of the oval tubes with the usual circular pipe ttings. This I preferably accomplish by mounting the spaced ins on a length of oval tubing, and then deforming the ends of the tube into circular cross sections which can readily be connected, by any of the several usual methods, to circular pipe iittings; The economy of the radiator unit of my presentinvention lies in the elimination of the necessity of expensive or special ittings to adapt the end of an oval tube to the pipe connections standard in the heat- 5 ing trade, also in the lessened width Vof the unit with the consequential lessening of the amount of copper sheeting required. Another feature of my invention is the provision for eliminating pockets in the tubes. It is naturally desirable that the sectional in the case of a hot water system, or condensate in the case of a steam system. I eliminate such traps or pockets preferably by arranging the uppermost or lowermost) portion of the inner lcircumference of the circular ends at substantially the same horizontal plane as the uppermost (or lowermost, respectively) portion of the inner circumference` of the oval part of the tube. If the top and bottom of the radiator unit are otherwise the same, these points offtangency'between the. circular ends and the ovalintermediate portions of the tube, may be uppermost at both ends, or lowermost at both ends. Then when the unit is installed, -the workman can, in the case of hot water, install the unit with the two points of tangency. uppermost and the opposed pocket lowermost, or in the case of steam, with'the two points of tan-gency lowermost and the onposedpocket uppermost. But, especially -where there is some additional reason why one side of the unit should always come uppermost, Iprefer to form the tube with the point of tangency uppermost at one end and lowermost 'at the other end, so that each of the resulting upper and lower pockets is open at one end or the other.v The workman has then only to turn the unit' end for end if necessary to bring the open ended upper pocket to the inlet or outlet pipe connection, depending on whether it bea steam or hot water system.

An additional feature of my invention is the placing of the heat tube farther toward Fig. 1 is a cross section througha partition wall of ya dwelling showing an exemplary installation of my radiator unit;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross scct-ion through the wall taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the unit shown in Fig. 2, but without the stack;

Fig. 4 is a vertical elevation of the radiator unit vper se shown in Fig. 8 and taken on the line 4-4 thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the oval heat tube after its ends have been deformed into circular section but 'with the' fins and ferrules removed;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the tube with the circular ends, which may be considered as taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

ig. 7 is an end view of a round tube indicating how the oval tube may initially be formed therefrom heat tube is rebent into a plaster, and base-board tive ends the heat tube Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the radiating fins showing the integral flange for surface engagement with the oval heat tube;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view, of one of the ferrules used to hold the flange of the fin in heat conducting surface contact with the oval tube, the ferrule being broken into section to show its construction;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged and somewhat exaggerated detail showing the arrangement of the parts for obtaining heat conductingcontact between the fins and the tube;

Fig. 11 is-a plan` view somewhat similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modification where the y U-shape whereby each radiating fin is in effect mounted upon a pair of heat tubes; and l i Fig. 12 is a transverse section through my radiator unit showing a modification wherein the heat tube has archedlateralwalls and is more truly elliptical in section.

Referring to'Figs. 1 arid 2-'-a-s typical examples of the installation4 of my radiator I unit-my radiator unit comprises a horizontal tube 20 of oval .cross section on which are mounted a multiplicity of -spaced heat radiating fins 21.secured on the tube in heat conducting lcontact therewith. This unit is near the lower end ofa vertically extending sheet metal stack 22 which is mounted intermediate the studding and lbetween the plaster of a conventionalpartition wall. The stack A22,

are cut away substantially the length of the 'radiator unit along thefloor and at one side to*form a cold air intake opening 23 to the stack. The upper end of the stack is provided with a suitable grill 24 closed by an adjustable damper 24a and forming a hot air outlet. At its respec- 20 communicates with the usual inlet and outlet pipes 25 and 26 for conveying4 the heating medium which may be hot water, steam or vapor. The shutoff valves for the heating fluid, the radiator .which would traps, and the like, are preferably located at a convenient avoiding the necessity of an access panel otherwise be advisable were these valves placed immediately adjacent the radiator unit. It will be understood that the cold air is taken from the lower strata on the floor through the opening 23, between the fins 2l upwardly through the stack v22 and out through the discharge grill 24. The heat supplied to the room may easily be controlled by the damper 25 without the necessity of controlling the admission o'f heating fluid to the tube 20.

In the manufacture .of my radiator unit here shown, I use a length of oval tubing 2O of thin copper or other ductile metal similar to the tube shown in Fig. 5 except that the ends are not circularly conformed. The oval tube may conveniently be formed from an initially roun'd tube as suggested by Fig. 7. I mount a multiplicity of transversely arranged heat radiating fins in spaced relation upon the oval tube. Each fin 21 comprises a rectangular sheet-preferably of copper .005 to. .010 inches thick. A central oval opening 27 is stamped therein with an offset inner marginal flange 28'formed integrally from the plane of' the lin. The inner dimensions and conformation of the marginal flange 28 are such that the flange fits upon the exterior of the oval tube but not necessarily with a very snug fit. A suitable ferrule 29 is placed about each fin flange 28. For economy I prefer to stamp the ferrules 29 from sheet metal. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10 each ferrule comprises an annular disk portion 29a. a. forwardlybent transverse flange 29?) and a rearwardly rebent flange portion 290 folded back upon the flange 296, thereby giving an offset flange of double thickness. If the transverse width of the ferrule 290 be made greater than the transversely offset width of the flange 28 of the fin 2l, the ferrule will constitute a spacer and prevent any end strain on lthe flanges 28 which might tend to buckle them. The ferrules 29, of course,

are ovally point below the' floor, thereby conformedto mate the flanges 28 over which they fit.

While any of the various eXpedients suggested in my former application may be used to pinch the tube, flanges 28 andferrules 29l together' radially of the tube, I prefer to do this in the present instance by an oval eX- panding tool passed through lthe tube 20 after the fins and' ferrules are assembled thereon. I contemplate also that the Hanges 28 struck from the fins may be so arranged byrebending as to sufficiently strengthen the flanges to make itfeasible to omitv the separate ferrules, as shown and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 117,266, lled June 21, 1926.

,Relatively heavy end plates 3() are mounted adjacent the first and lastlfin on the oval I* tube, and the lateral edges of these end plates l by afraine or casing which envelopes all sides .save the top and bottoni.

After the assembled vfins and fei'rules and end plates have been secured in position, I deforni the protrudingends of the oval tube 20 into cylindrically conformed portions 33..

This may be done either by a spinning process or a stamping process; in practice I prefer the latter. The diameter of the cylindrical end portion thus formed is preferably such that its cross sectional area is substantially equal to that of the oval portion, and thel interconnecting neck portion 34 is so formed as not to be restrictive.

Any suitable arrangement of pipe fittings may be used to connect the cylindrical portions of the tube with the supply pipes'. Preferably I employ an externally threaded brass. bushing 35 secured on the cylindrical portion 33 at one end of the heat tube. At the other end of the tube I preferably bell the outer end of the cylindrical portion as indicated at- 36 and use a standard ing a seat for the belled end 36 of the cylindrical portion of the tube, and a gland member 38 which threadsinto the tube nut 37 and I 'seals against the belled end 36 ofthe tube.

The outer end of the gland 38 may carry internal threads for the reception'of a standard union or. other fitting. A Y

I contemplate that an alternative method of securing these circular ends of the heat tube of circular ittings would be by brazing, soldering or the like.

Where a greater width is permitted for the radiatorY unit, I prefer to use a double length heat tube in which the length of oval tube is bent through 180 degrees at its inidpoint as shown in Fig. 1l and the two endswhich then come adjacent and at the same end of the radiator-are cylindrically conformed. This permits. each lin to be penetrated bv and' mounted upon bothlegs of the U-shaped heat tube.

When the oval tube is'so mounted that its long diameter extends verticallyas for examplein the installations illustrated in Figs. l and 2a concentric arrangement of the medial axes of' the oval and cylindrical portions of the tube would leave a pocket at the bottom of the oval' portion from which water would not readily drain and would also leave asimilar pocket at the top of the oval portion which would entrap air. *To avoid this situation I form the' cylindrical portion at one end (the left, Fig. 5) somewhat eccentric to the oval portion so that the bottom ofthe cylinder comes tangent with the bet- A tom of the oval.' This eliminates one end of what-would otherwise be a Water pocket at `circular end portion of the tube is offset above ythe medial axis of the oval tube so that the point of taiigency comes on the top of the oval. what would otherwise be an aii pocket at the top 'of the ovaltube. In a hot water heatingl system the radiator unit should be so installed that the hot water flows from left to right (Fig. 5) so that air is led to an air relief beyonb the end ofthe tube. This feature is especially valuable when the design ofthe radiator unit is such that it cannot be inverted, as, for example, in a design such as here shown where the tube is disposed tovvard the bottom edge of the fins.

The specific oval crosssection of the tube. which I have illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 is one where the top and bottom ends are semi-circles connected by straight sides` This has the advantage of easier manufacture. I contemplate, however, that other Vcross sections, which may also be described tube connection comprising a tube nut 37 havgenerally as ovals, might be used, such, for example, as the strictly elliptical cross section illustrated in' Fig. 12. An elliptical This eliminates the end wall of` cross section would have the advantage that its sides also are arched so that the tube at the lateral sides has less tendency tobuckle inwardly and relieve its pressure on the 'flanges 28 against the ferrules 29. Another alternative would be to form the tube with concave lateral sides, giving it a sort of dumb-bell shaped cross section.

As a practical manufacturing proposition I 'prefer initially to start with a round tube, as indicated in Fig. 7, 'deform the entire length thereof into oval section, as indicated iio portion of the tube deformed into the desired oval section. f

The feature of locating the heat tube opening 27 and its marginal ange 2S nearer the vanterior edge than the posterior edge of the finasconrmed by tests and experiments I' have made-results in agreater capacity for the radiator in proportion to the area of the fins. This is because the cold air coming into. the radiator unit receives heat so rapidly fromthe anterior edge of the tube that a given temperature cannot effectively be maintained so far out from'the tube toward thelanterior edge as can be maintained the same distance out from the tube toward the posterior edge where the heat gradient is less `because of the increased temperature of the air.

While I have described my invention as embodied in the specific form shown and described and have suggested only the specific alternatives, ;I` contemplate that many changes may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of my invention.

1. A radiator comprising a heat tube of oval cross section, and a plurality of spaced heat radiating fins comprising an integral flange encircled by a reinforcing ferrule between which and the wall of the tube, the langeis pinched into heat conducting contact, the lateral sides of the oval tubing being convex to arch it against buckling. l 2. A radiator comprising a length of oval tubing bent into a U-.shape with parallel legs, a plurality of heat radiating fins mounted on said'parall'el legs, integrally formed flanges on said fins held under compression in heat conducting contact with said legs, the adjafrom the oval-section but being of circular section for the reception of circular ttings.

3. A radiator oval cross section, a multiplicity of radiatin fins mounted transversely thereon in space relation, heat conducting contact with saidtube, and

integral circularly formed end portions on said tube, the axes of the`circular portions being vertically offset relative to the medial axis of the oval portion to bring the upper- "most edge of the circular portion in substanrelation, flangeson said'i ducting contact with said tube underradial compression, the lateral walls of the oval tube being arched to resist the collapsing of the lateral `walls inwardly and away from said flanges,

mounted thereon, each lin my name this 9th comprising a heat tube iii,

integral flanges on said fins held in i ins with respect to the direction of air iiow between the fins, having greater radiating area than the anterior and side plates forming air confining means about vsaid fins.

7. A radiator comprising heat exchange means, a multiplicity of rectangular heat radiating vfins mounted thereon in spaced relation to each other, said fins being wider laterally than vertically, the distance traversedl by air passing between lsaid fins being less portion and end'plates.

from the entrance edge of the fins to the near side of the heat exchange means than from the far side of the heat exchange means to and channel parts forming confining walls along the lateral edges of the discharge edge,

said fins.

In witness whereof, Ihereunto subscribe day of January-1928. REUBEN N. TRANE.

cent ends of the tube being integrally formed cross section, a. plurality of radiating L fins mounted transversely thereon in spaced ns held in heat con- 5. A radiatorcomprising heat exchange i I means, a multiplicity of rectangular heat radiatingiins mounted thereon in spaced relation and penetrated thereby, plates extending along the lateral edges ing the same and confining air passing therebetween, said heat exchange means being nearer the anterior edges of the ns with ref spect to the direction of air' flow therethrough than the posterior edges.

@QA- radiator comprising heat exchange 1neans,al multiplicity-of rectangular heat radiating iins mounted thereon in spaced relaof said fins for protect- Aen 

